First time making buckskins....

[Longhunter89]

After the hide has soaked and any swelling between the layers go down you have to remove the thin membrane on the flesh side. It seemed to be fairly easy to remove you just have to be methodical about it just like dehairing. The book I'm following says it's not crucial to remove every little piece but at least the majority of it needs to be removed. Supposedly it can inhibit the oils from penetrating. Below pictures are before, during and the last picture is fully scraped

 

[Longhunter89]

After I scraped the hide I washed of both sides the best i could. Its extremely hard to keep these wet hides clean

 

[Longhunter89]

The next step is to wring the hide which removes excess moisture to allow the oils to work. You need a limb to work off off I used a cedar tree in my yard and wrapped a old shirt around to minimize trash on the hide. First thing you have to do is drape the hide over the limb. And twist both ends together as tight as possible. Hold it untill it's just a slow drip. Once that is accomplished I looped both ends over the limb and rolled up both ends and stuck a pipe in the loop. Then I twisted the hide as tight as I was comfortable with holding untill it was just a slow drip. I did this in twice twist in both directions. Then I rotated it on the limb and did the same thing all over again untill I had twisted the whole hide. I think it was about 8 times total I twisted it.

 

[Longhunter89]

Once it is wrung you are supposed to work it hard stretching in all directions. Also observing the color of the hide. White and tawny are ok. A kind of white-blue is bad it will have to much moisture for the oils to penetrate. I used a plastic card scraper to squeegee out the excess water mainly around the neck and backbone. Supposedly this is one of the most important parts in working the hide.

 

[Longhunter89]

After search high and low for hog brains and calling every store in the macon I area I could think of I finally just resorted back to using eggs, nobody locally carries brains. If it doesn't work out with the eggs I'll know next time. Per hide I used 1 dozen homegrown duck eggs and 1/2 gallon of water per the book I'm following. Take the hide and massage it untill the whole hide is completely covered In the solution. Then let it sit.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

I'd peel that log before I did this again. Might help keep em cleaner.

 

[Longhunter89]

I'd peel that log before I did this again. Might help keep em cleaner.

Yea that was a big mistake and something I didnt think about. The second hide is much cleaner than the first. I really didnt think a fresh cut tree staining the hide so bad. When I did the second hide I scrubbed the log down and it made a big difference. I think if I do this again I'm going to make me a dedicated fleshing beam.

 

[Nicodemus]

Just me, but on a deerskin or other big hide, before I tried to eggtan it, I`d wrap it good in plastic and freeze it till I could get some brains. That`s a lot of work you`ve already put into it.....

 

[Longhunter89]

Just me, but on a deerskin or other big hide, before I tried to eggtan it, I`d wrap it good in plastic and freeze it till I could get some brains. That`s a lot of work you`ve already put into it.....

Unfortunately Mr. Nicodemus my time is severely limited otherwise I would. Between a part-time business, a full time job and 3 little kids I know that if doesnt get done this week it will sit in the freezer till the cows come home. Better to try and mess up than not try at all. I got to go back to the real world Tuesday so I'm hoping to get it done before then....

 

[Longhunter89]

Well the first and worst hide is done except for being smoked. After it soaked the first time I took it out after 1 hour, wrung it and stretched it again then put it back in the solution for about 4 hours. Then took it out wrung it again and worked it on this wire trellis untill dry. It is very soft on the underside. The top side is slightly starchy feeling but that is probably because I didnt grain the hide I well as I should have due to not letting it soak long enough in the dehair solution. But the whole family got involved we stretched it from all corners and continually pulled it across the wire so the fibers wouldn't set while it was drying. Took about 3 hours.


I have really high hope's for the second hide it looks a lot better. Hopefully I'll finish it up tomorrow and smoke both hides tomorrow afternoon.

 

[antharper]

Good job , especially getting the whole family involved !

 

[trad bow]

I’ve got a couple hides in the freezer waiting on my shoulder to heal and get some strength back in it. Brain tan hides feels good against my skin.